Stardew Valley is one of the most beloved farming simulation games--a true indie classic, and I have covered it many times throughout this website and my YouTube channel. But with a game so popular comes the push for many different…
Ah, yes, a glorious sunrise in Minecraft valley amongst the idling cattle, rolling waters, and orange pattern of rain among my hermit-bound existence in the randomly generated terrain. For the record, I don't totally remember exactly what it was that…
Thank you to Space Colony Studios for reaching out to me about this upcoming interactive fiction demo for Stories From Sol: Part 1 Gun-Dog. I'm so excited to tell you all about this new demo. It has touches of retro nostalgia, with a sci-fi storylines, and the beginning of a really good series.
I'm not attempting to upsell you the service--although I'd certainly take credit, simply because it's truly one of the best gaming services out there and sells itself. You need Game Pass if you play major game titles or even indies, it's just a must to keep up. You can play day-one releases as well as past releases from Bethesda, EA, as well as tons of mid-tier indies. The setup is easy so I'll just make a quick reference here if you're wishing to try it out.
Back with another Indie Game Collective showcase for Rotund Zero. It's a precision platformer with a Game Boy monochrome style that uses directional keys only to solve puzzle levels made of bouncing blocks. It's only $1.99 on Steam at the moment and encourages problem-solving in timed runs. You have 5 minutes to complete as many levels as possible, and there are 26 levels, 1 for every letter of the alphabet! You'll be on your toes to speedrun all of those levels, but the pressure is mild. Watch the YouTube video at the top of this article to see me run, a genuine but beginner, 5-minute run. I've been trying to cover more Game Boy-style retro games, so thank you to the developer and publisher Dahku for providing the key!
The game Moonlighter is a combination rogue-lite dungeon-crawler mixed with trade simulation and story-rich RPG elements. This timeless, beautifully rendered pixel top-down was released by Digital Sun in 2018, and is available on most platforms.
Discovered through Game Pass, I'm rather fond of this new title, The Gunk, from Image and Form/Thunderful Development, just launched a few days ago. It fits neatly into the category of games I usually enjoy which are casual character development, soft sci-fi, and familiar mechanics of resource collecting games. And this version of those styles is well presented here. While the game is really very straightforward without much need for introduction, a quality I appreciate, I'll share some highlights on my experience playing through the first few areas plus what you should know about this game.
The word Fugl means bird in Norwegian. Fugl is a casual sandbox indie game created by a small group of dedicated developers. Its story is whatever you make it, and the gameplay is most certainly endorsed by all birds. I started as a colorful neutral voxel bird in a voxel world and glide through the treetops and oceans, plus more. Interact with your environment to test new experiences. Transform into other birds, try neat stunts, and listen to the pleasant music that guides you through the map. To the skies!
Let's talk about an upcoming space game! Space Mechanic Simulator is a 3D space sim set in, you guessed, outer space. So far, this game is still in development, but that may have changed by the time you read this. It is currently in development with a demo on steam that I am reviewing here. Your job is to repair space stations, spaceships, and presumably other space vehicles with a sophisticated drill and a meter. Obtain parts from drones or 3D print them. Once you have detected the malfunctioning equipment, remove it and replace it.